Waccamaw Neck Notebook | Wicked Tuna takes the place of Spuds restaurant on the Marshwalk

The Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire District is holding a public hearing to get community input in raising its millage cap. The current cap is 10 mills, but the district is requesting a cap of 20 mills.

Millage is the rate of property taxation per dollar; millage rate is multiplied by the total taxable value of the property to arrive at the property tax due.

The meeting will be held April 29 at 6 p.m. at Headquarters Station 1, 3641 U.S. 17 Business, Murrells Inlet.

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The Coastal Oyster Recycling and Restoration Initiative will hold an Inlet restoration day May 11 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Volunteers will meet at the main Coastal Carolina University campus and are asked to wear sturdy shoes.

The initiative is led by Keith Walters, CCU marine biology professor, and the mission is threefold: to develop and promote a local oyster shell recycling program with local restaurants; to build and plant reefs from the recycled oyster shells in six different locations across the Grand Strandl and to collect scientific samples of the fauna associated with the reefs.

Reefs will be contructed on three swash tidal creeks and three tidal creeks across the Strand.

For more information, contact Walters at 349-2477 or kwalt@coastal.edu.

Wicked Tuna replaces Spuds on the Murrells Inlet Marshwalk

A new restaurant will open to the public on April 22 offering seafood, sushi and American-Mediterranean cuisine with a view of the marsh in Murrells Inlet. Wicked Tuna, housed in the same location once known as Spuds Waterfront Dining, will host a grand opening party May 3.

The new addition boasts three full bars, including one outside, a stage for live music and 200-plus seating. Wicked Tuna’s owners also own Enso, a sushi bar and Asian bistro at the Epic Center in Charlotte, N.C. The partners also created, own and operate Good Time Charley’s at Broadway at the Beach, The Beach House and Moe Moons in downtown Myrtle Beach on Ocean Boulevard.

General Manager David Stallard plans to be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.

County officials gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony for Retreat Park in Pawleys Island on April 11, signifying the completion of two new community baseball fields. The 300-foot fields will primarily be used by local residents through the county’s recreational baseball programs, though officials hope to market the fields for tournaments.

The park is part of the county’s recreational tourism plan. Plans to add a third field to Retreat park are currently scheduled in the second phase of the Capital Improvement Plan.

Boys from two area Little League teams, the Dodgers and Nationals, used a pair of oversized scissors to snip away the blue ribbon at the ceremony.

“A lot of people have put in a lot of time, a lot of effort, to make this project a reality and we owe them a debt of gratitude,” said Mark Hoeweler, assistant executive director of Waccamaw Regional Council of Governments.

The Murrells Inlet Community Center is getting an upgrade as well, and construction should start within two weeks when the building permit is approved. The center is being built on the same site as the existing community center and will maintain the same square footage, though flexibility of space will make all the difference. Plans include various meeting and classrooms, spaces for banquets and the ability to house a theater for up to 250 people. The cost is budgeted at $1.5 million and is also funded through the Capital Improvement Plan.

Goodwill opening two stores in Georgetown County

Palmetto Goodwill plans to open two new Goodwill retail stores in Georgetown County.

This summer, a in Murrells Inlet location will open and a store in Georgetown is scheduled to open this fall. In preparation of the openings, officials areholding donation drives throughout April and May.

The Murrells Inlet store is located fronting U.S. 17 Bypass South just north of CVS Pharmacy at S.C. 707. The other will be in the city of Georgetown, but a specific location was not made available through Goodwill or the city.

Pawleys Island donors will be able to drop off gently used clothing and household items from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 20. Donations must be made at Frank’s Restaurant at 10434 Ocean Highway.

Goodwill will also host donation drives in Murrells Inlet at the Food Lion at 760 Mink Ave., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 20, May 4, May 11 and May 18.

All donors will receive a tax-deductible receipt and have to chance to enter to win a 60-second shopping spree at a store’s grand opening. Revenue generated through Goodwill sales is used to provide job training and employment services for people with disabilities.

“This is truly and exciting time for Goodwill as we prepare to move into the Murrells Inlet and Georgetown communities,” said Robert Smith, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Lower South Carolina. “We are poised to provide Georgetown County with valuable employment programs and services and your donations are vital to our success.”

Concrete opening dates for both stores have yet to be announced.

Goodwill has five stores in Horry County after expanding quickly in recent years by opening stores in North Myrtle Beach and Carolina Forest, among others.